Airport traffic down 15 percent this year

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Spokane International Airport reported a 15 percent decline in passengers in the first quarter of the year versus the same period in 2008.

In the first three months of the year, the airport handled 703,541 passenger boardings, down from 768,961 a year ago.

March traffic was down 13.6 percent over March 2008, the airport said today.

Much of the decline year over year is due to the departure last year of regional startup Express Jet, which drew about 20,000 passengers in the first three months of 2008. That service ended in September.